


Accept the Unexpected

by iloveyou_iknow (llostt_in_ttranslationn)



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-16
Updated: 2019-03-16
Packaged: 2019-11-18 21:12:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18126554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/llostt_in_ttranslationn/pseuds/iloveyou_iknow
Summary: Penelope Park has been gone for five years, but there's no way she would miss the twins' twenty-second birthday. She's going to make sure Josie lives to twenty-three, no matter how much the other girl has prepared for her own death.





	Accept the Unexpected

**Author's Note:**

> I legitimately sobbed watching that last Posie scene in 1×14. I haven't actually seen all of Legacies so this might not be 100% accurate but oh well. Enjoy!

 

Josie spends the entire day staring at the clock and checking her phone.

_She should be here by now._

Josie thought that maybe her mom might want to spend the last day of Josie's life with her, but it's nearing eight at night and Josie gets a text from Caroline with an apology and a promise to be there in the morning when she wakes up.

As if Josie will be able to sleep.

Tomorrow is her twenty-second birthday. Today is the day before the merge. The day before Josie commits her final act of selflessness.

She feels so incredibly weak for having already given up.

Josie stares down at the paper in her hands. It's old, fragile, and about ready to fall apart, much like Josie at the moment. Josie reads the letter from time to time. The familiar loopy scrawl gives her comfort, although the words scrape at the scar on her heart from the person who wrote it to her.

Penelope's letter.

Josie hasn't heard from the other girl since that fateful night five years ago.

She's fairly certain Penelope is still alive. Or, at least, she was at this time last year.

For the past four years, Josie has gotten a package on her birthday. It always contained meaningful flowers and foreign chocolate and a scribbled note in a familiar cursive that plainly read _Happy Birthday, JoJo_ in blue ink. There was never a return address or a name on the note, but Josie knows that Penelope sent them. She would always look up the meanings for each of the flowers in the bouquet and they were always so sweet and it only ever made Josie's heart break more.

Josie wonders if she'll recieve one tomorrow before the end of her life. If maybe for once the note will say anything else.

She wishes she could have seen Penelope one more time. Josie should've returned Penelope's "I love you," five years ago, and she will always regret not doing so.

She's tried so hard to find the girl, grilling MG and Jed with questions of if they knew anything about the raven-haired witch's whereabouts.

MG has orders to deliver a magic-sealed letter to Penelope when Josie's life ends tomorrow.

It says everything Josie wishes she could have told Penelope over the past few years.

Josie spends much of the night the same way she spent most of her day. Staring up at the ceiling feeling nothing but numb. She ran out of tears hours, maybe days ago.

At some point, Josie must fall asleep, because she loses several hours of time and suddenly it's bright outside of the curtains over her window.

The first thing she notices is the warmth against her back, and an arm slung around her waist that certainly wasn't there when she fell asleep.

Then she catches a whiff of a perfume she hasn't smelled in years.

"Am I already dead?" Josie mumbles to herself as she turns over to confirm her suspicions.

Josie lets out a whimper. She hasn't seen Penelope's face in years. She really must either be dead or dreaming.

But it all feels so real.

Penelope's eyes crack open slowly, just as gorgeous and green as Josie remembers them being. They look just a touch duller though, tired. As if these five years have broken her completely and she's freshly rebuilt and exhausted from it.

"Hey, JoJo."

"What a wonderful way to die," Josie whispers.

"You're not dying today, Jo," Penelope tells her quietly, so very sure of herself that Josie  _almost_ believes her.

"I'll never kill Lizzie."

"You don't have to," Penelope says softly, cryptic.

" _You_ will not kill her either," Josie hisses out, trying to pull herself out of Penelope's arms.

"No," Penelope tightens her grip. "I won't."

Josie relaxes slightly. "How are you here right now?"

"I thought I'd wish you a happy birthday in person this year," Penelope brushes off.

"You wanted to say goodbye this time," Josie corrects.

"No one is saying goodbye today," Penelope says firmly.

"You're the one who told me about the merge, Penelope. You know what has to happen today."

"Josie," Penelope sighs softly. "I have spent the past _five years_ searching for a way to prevent this day's events. Me and your mom, actually."

Josie's eyes widen. "What?"

"I met up with your mom in Europe and we searched and searched and came up with nothing. For so fucking long."

"She never told me," Josie says.

"I asked her not to," Penelope brushes a few stray strands of hair away from Josie's face. "You're so, so beautiful, JoJo."

Those soft words sent five years of pent up emotions flooding to the surface, and somehow Josie is crying. "You didn't wait for me to say it back."

"Huh?" Penelope hums in confusion.

"You just left! You turned my life upside down and then just _left_ , Penelope. If you had just _waited_. I would've said it back. I was just so shocked."

"I know," Penelope smiles sadly, eyes glistening with unshed tears. "That's why I didn't stay, Jo. If I heard you say those three words again, I wouldn't have been able to leave at all. And I needed to. We both needed me to."

"I needed you here!" Josie protests. "Everything went to shit, Penelope. I did some really bad things."

"I know," Penelope murmurs. "Hope told me."

"You kept in contact with _Hope_?" Josie frowns. "She was so mad at you for what you told Landon."

"I apologized," Penelope shrugs. "She understood."

Josie scoffs. Sure, Hope had grounded herself a lot over the past few years, but she certainly isn't someone Josie would label as _understanding_ on any level.

"She's with Lizzie now, anyways," Penelope continues. "So really, me shattering her and Landon worked out in the end."

"That's horrible," Josie informs her.

She remembers when Lizzie and Hope had first gotten together. It was practically a huge punch in the face. Not that she was on great terms with either of them at that point, anyways.

Things have gotten better, though. Up until the twins' birthday started getting closer. People would walk on eggshells around them, Josie especially.

"Why did you come back, Pen?"

"Come with me?" Penelope sits up. "I'll show you."

Josie trusts Penelope explicitly still, so she climbs out of bed alongside her ex, slipping on a hoodie and some sweats before heading towards the door.

"Wait," Josie says just as Penelope reaches out to grasp the doorknob.

Penelope turns expectantly, but stumbles backwards a bit when she realizes how close Josie is. Josie just pushes in closer, until Penelope's back is against the door.

"Jo?"

"Shut up," Josie mumbles, trying to work up the courage to say the words that have been on the tip of her tongue for years.

When Penelope looks like she's about to speak again, Josie leans in and presses her lips against the other girl's to keep her quiet.

"I love you," Josie whispers against Penelope's lips.

"I know," Penelope murmurs back. "I love you, too."

Josie rests her forehead against Penelope's for a long moment, before pulling away completely.

"Okay, where are we going?"

Penelope blinks a few times to refocus, before leading Penelope on the familiar trek to Alaric's office.

Josie is a little uncertain when Penelope just swings the door open and walks right in without knocking, but she still follows nonetheless.

"Mom?"

"Hey, Sweetie," Caroline greets. "We got in late last night and didn't want to wake you."

Josie allows herself to fall into her mother's arms. "You're here now, that's all that matters."

"Happy birthday, baby," Caroline whispers into Josie's hair.

"Not gonna be happy for long," Josie responds.

"Actually," Another familiar voice speaks up. "It is going to stay happy."

"Liz?" Josie frowns. "You know what has to happen today, right?"

"I know what was _supposed_ to happen today," Lizzie says. "But when Penelope called me last week-"

Josie swivels her head so fast she's surprised she doesn't get whiplash. "You called her?!"

Penelope just shrugs.

"Mom told me last year that they thought they had a solution, but that it wouldn't be one that was a first choice option. Nothing else became viable, so Penelope called me and told me that we had to go through with this fallback one."

"Oh, so you all kept even more secrets from me then," Josie scowls.  _Of course._

"Jo," Penelope says softly, placing a hand against Josie's back lightly. "We did it for you."

Josie wants so bad to just slip away from the other girl's touch, but she can't bring herself to do it.

"Keep talking," Josie says gruffly, subtly leaning into Penelope's touch to calm herself.

"Apparently there's a loophole in the merge," Lizzie says. "If one of us died before our birthday, the curse is broken, because there is no longer another living twin to fight against."

"How does that help?" Josie rolls her eyes. "It's our birthday and we're both still here, Liz."

Lizzie smiles sadly. "I wasn't gonna let you die for me, Jo."

Josie frowns in confusion.

"Last night when Penelope and Mom got here, I made my final decision. Your girl over here really pushes people to do what's right, y'know that?" Lizzie scoffs, though there's a teasing glint in her eyes.

Josie glances between her sister and her- her _Penelope_. They're sharing a look that isn't hateful. Josie might even call it friendly. Five years really is a long time for things to change.

"Jo, I died last night," Lizzie tells her. "I took some of mom's blood, and then I killed myself."

Josie stares at her, wide-eyed. "I'm sorry... what?"

"I'm a vampire now, Josie. A hybrid. Dead enough to break the curse, but undead enough to still exist in this realm. With my magic."

"Why would you do that?" Josie asks.

"For you, Jo," Lizzie tells her.

Josie spins to face Penelope. "You told my sister to kill herself to save me?"

Penelope flinches at Josie's venomous tone. "She didn't do anything that she didn't want to. She had a whole year to think about it."

"It's okay, Josie," Lizzie approaches her sister slowly. "This was our best chance."

"Why didn't you ask me if  _I_ wanted to be the one to do this?" Josie asks them all.

"You did everything for me for so long, Josie. I wanted to do this for you."

"If you're going to blame anyone," Alaric speaks for the first time. "Blame me. I told your mom to approach Lizzie with this option instead of you."

Josie can't decide if she's mad or grateful. She knows that she would never want to be a vampire, but if it was offered to her as a way to stop the Merge, she would've agreed instantly.

Josie softens in defeat. "No one is dying today?" She asks.

"No one is dying today," Alaric confirms.

"Okay," Josie sighs. "Okay."

"Jo?" Penelope reaches a hand out but hesitates to actually touch Josie in fear of rejection.

Josie willing collapses into Penelope's arms. "Will you stay this time?"

"Yes," Penelope breathes out. "God, Josie. I'm never going to leave you again."

"I'm not going to let you," Josie tells her. "You just gave me a future and I intend to spend it with you."

Penelope breaks out in a grin. "I love you, JoJo."

"I love you, too," Josie ignores the fact that her whole family is in the room, leaning down to kiss Penelope softly.

"Okay, ew. Too sappy," Lizzie groans.

The duo breaks apart laughing.

"I have suffered as a third wheel to you and Hope for over three years, Liz. Suck it up," Josie teases.

Three swift knocks on the door cut Lizzie off before she can reapond.

A head of red hair pops in. "Safe to come in?"

"Yeah, c'mon in," Josie says.

Hope slips into the room, unconsciously gravitating towards Lizzie.

"Nothing's broken or on fire? I'm impressed," Hope grins when both twins glare at her.

"Me too," Penelope agrees. "But I'm glad my hair is still the length it was when I got here."

"I could change that at any moment," Josie warns her.

Penelope offers a small smirk. "Come at me, babe. I dare you."

Hope raises an eyebrow, interested in seeing how this plays out, but Lizzie scoffs.

"Take it down a notch, will you? Your sexual tension is giving me a headache."

"Okay!" Alaric cuts in loudly. "I think we're done here if you four want to go catch up elsewhere."

The girls take the hint, and leave the office with a shared laugh.

"It's good to have you back, Park. Josie doesn't really smile anymore," Hope says as they wander through the halls.

"I plan to change that," Penelope promises.

Josie smiles softly at her.

"Ew, you guys are so soft," Lizzie complains. "Am I like that with Hope?"

"Yes," Josie drawls. "It's disgusting."

Hope and Lizzie just share a grin.

"I think Hope and I are gonna get outta here for a bit," Lizzie decides.

"We'll leave you two to _catch up_ ," Hope wiggles her eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh, I plan to get  _very_ reacquainted with JoJo tonight," Penelope agrees with a smirk, enjoying the dark blush that creeps onto Josie's face.

"That's our cue to go!" Lizzie announces loudly. "Bye Jo, Park."

"Saltzman, Mikaelson," Penelope nods at the duo.

Josie gives her hand an impatient tug as the other two woman begin to walk away.

"I've missed you, Penny," She whispers.

"Me too, Jo."

"We've got a lot of celebrating to do tonight," Josie says. "I hope you're up for it."

"I've been waiting five years for this, Josie. I'm so ready you don't even know," Penelope tells her.

"I'm looking forward to it," Josie smiles.

Penelope softens and she pulls Josie into a tight embrace, just enjoying the feeling of having the woman she loves in her arms again.

"Happy birthday, JoJo."

**Author's Note:**

> Tell me what you think? Bad, good, anything. You can also find me on Tumblr @ i-loveyou--i-know


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